Violet Winters once had it all but lost it when her husband was murdered by a criminal madman. During a cold winter night Violet has to leave her warm bed to tell her neighbor to turn the music down. And that’s when she meets sinister, scarred, scarily attractive security specialist, Joe Callahan.

She wants to deny it, but Violet can’t beat back the hunger she feels for Joe so she gives in again and again. Feeling it himself, Joe feeds Vi’s hunger, breaking his own rules to keep her in his bed.

Even though Violet had only one man in her life, she’s sure Joe is giving her the signals and Vi decides she’s ready to take a second chance at life and, maybe, love. But Violet doesn’t know the dark secrets in Joe’s past, secrets so soul-wrenching, they’ve drained him dry. With nothing left to give, Joe’s determined to live his life alone and he breaks Violet’s heart.

Crushed by Joe’s betrayal, Violet comes to terms with the fact that, no matter what signals he gave, Joe was not theirs to win. But Violet’s husband’s murderer is obsessed with her and heartbreak again haunts the door of the Winters home. When it does Joe is forced to face the knowledge that he can’t fight Violet’s pull, she’s under his skin and filled him full to bursting.

Joe needs to win her back and put his life on the line to keep Violet safe. But, having had it all once, can Violet endure losing Joe?

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kristen Ashley is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She grew up in Indiana, but has lived in Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she’s been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least), but loopy is good when you want to write. Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched). Needless to say, living in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up. And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

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I can not believe it only has 60 reviews. This is such a good book! KA is one of my favorite authors and this is one of my top three of her books. The others being Motorcyle Man and Mystery Man. This is in no order, I love all three the same.

Joe and Violet are such a pair that I read romance for. I went for about 20 years without reading romance novels but Kristen Ashley made me come back. This book is sooooo good. Please read it!!!

I was an English Lit Minor in college. Read Dickens, Hardy, Austen, etc. and loved them. Went on to Stephen King and mystery and suspense novels. Loved them. Now I have a major love for KA. You rock KA!!! Thanks for what you do for me.

One of the things that made this book so good is that I could, from word one, connect with Violet's character. She is an everyday person, a single Mom with two teenage girls and a job at a garden center. I was not reading Violet's story, I was living it (although I'm not a single Mom, don't have teenage girls and don't work in a garden center.)

Joe is KA's typical hot, macho, alpha male. He is more tortured than most and at times acts very badly. Watching his struggle to avoid falling in love and Violet's quiet (but with plenty of spunk) beauty is heartwarming. Oh yeah I almost forgot--the sex scenes? Swoon.

One theme seems to be prevalent in KA's work. Love and redemption. Very highly recommended.

OMG I think I hate this book you guys! [ I never hate a book! I feel terrible even saying that :'-( ]OK, I guess I hate the writing but sorta like the characters. My opinions, I'll try for no spoilers:

1. The writing is so detailed and drawn out it takes forever to make any progress. I was reading for 3 nights (couple hour sessions) and looked at my Kindle -- 18% ?!!?!?!! I usually finish a book in 4 nights max!!! Every.Single.Thought.And.Conversation. is detailed, sort of like when you have an actual conversation with someone. Except reading it on the page takes way loooonger.

2. The main male character, Joe/Cal, apparently doesn't know what a pronoun is. He speaks in short sentences jumping right to the verb, leaving off the beginning (examples: "Saw you there, came over" or "In your bed, staying") A few of the other characters do it as well, but much less frequently. Do people from Chicago really speak this way? Drove me nuts, confusing sometimes ;-) #seewhatididthere

3. Being a book lover, I diligently tried to power through the chapters, skimming over 3-page conversations about a dog..... then I found out in Chapter 18 this is really a mafia story??? I was expecting some sort of crime/tension/conflict to come up, but the whole story seemed to shift to a new set of characters and the mafia. Or maybe it's just that the first 17 chapters were so drawn out with details of 4-5 months of their everyday life that these new people seemed like a second book. I don't even know if that makes sense, that's how bamboozled this book has me.

I might try and finish it, if ONLY because I hate an unfinished book and love a HEA. But honestly, this book is making me crazy.

I wanted to write my review several times during this book -- I waited to finish, knowing the ending would gloss over all the maddening parts of this story. First of all, Violet is a doormat -- she says "okay" more than any other word! If you accidentally get pregnant at 17, why on earth would you have unprotected sex as an adult, with a man who has been involved with many many women?! Seriously?! He treats her like his booty call and she keeps going back to him -- even leaving her daughters home alone in the middle of the night! And the way she treated Mike (who would have been a much better partner!!) was quite despicable.

And Joe- geez, learn some manners, try letting someone speak & explain. Joe was a bully. He had a tough life -- but the way he treats Violet was ugly. After breaking up twice, he finally sees the light and accepts his feelings for Violet, after a horrific tragedy. He redeems himself to some degree -- yes I wanted their HEA.

Ultimately, it was a good story, with good relationships. Not sure I plan to read more books in this series though. Just longer than it needed to be.

Lot's of well-fleshed out characters, despite the caricature nature of Joe/Cal, the hero. I willingly went along with the somewhat unlikely plot - no rich-as-Midas, sophisticated crime lord is going to obsess over a 35-year old mother of 2, no matter how hot she is. But there were layers to this read, not the typical point A-to-B with a single predictable detour along the way. Violet's pain of having lost her husband feels genuine, and the daughters with their antics feel very real. Cal's story is a bit more cliché - tough guy avoids emotional entanglements, having left it all on the floor with his first junky wife whose negligence cost them their son. It dragged a bit with one too many he-leaves-her-for-her-own-good episode, but an engaging read overall, suspenseful and sweet by turns.